Brad Pitt knows how to give good interview.

There's an art to giving interviews. You have to provide something personal and interesting during the exchange, something you haven't shared before. But at the same time you have to avoid the dreaded TMI (Too Much Information) navelgazing that so many celebrities seem to fall into (I'm talkin' to you Megan Fox!).

Some celebrities are just plain awful at this balancing act. Every time you read a quote from them you wind up liking them less. But from my perspective, no one is a better interviewee than Brad Pitt. I wouldn't consider myself a fan of the actor exactly, but I always look forward to his interviews. 

This Sunday's PARADE magazine will include a lengthy interview with Pitt and already excerpts are leaking out. In it, he touches on gay marriage, and gay parenting - expanding on some of his earlier pro-gay comments. 

After the break, excerpts from the upcoming Parade article, as well as a surprisingly frank quote from a recent German interview. You might be a bit surprised (as I was) by Pitt's religious views!

Pitt on why he won't marry Angelina Jolie:
"I have love in my life, a soul mate--absolutely. When someone asked me why Angie and I don't get married, I replied, 'Maybe we'll get married when it's legal for everyone else.' I stand by that, although I took a lot of flak for saying it--hate mail from religious groups. I believe everyone should have the same rights. They say gay marriage ruins families and hurts kids. Well, I've had the privilege of seeing my gay friends being parents and watching their kids grow up in a loving environment."

On wanting what's best for his children:
"Would it bother me if a child of mine turns out to be gay? No, not one bit. Listen, I want my kids to live the lives they want to live. I want them to be fulfilled. I hope I teach my kids to be who they really are."

On everyone's right to love.
"Man, I resent people telling others how to live! It drives me mental! Just the other night, I heard this TV reverend say that Angie and I were setting a bad example because we were living out of wedlock, and people should not be duped by us! It made me laugh. What damn right does anyone have to tell someone else how to live if they're not hurting anyone? How many times do you think real love comes to someone in a lifetime? If you're lucky, maybe two or three."

The full PARADE interview will be on newstands this Sunday.

In July, Pitt spoke with Germany's BILD magazine while promoting his new movie, Inglorious Basterds. The brief interview didn't touch on gay rights issues, but the actor was unusually frank about his religious views:

BILD: Do you believe in God?
Brad Pitt: “No, no, no!”

BILD: Is your soul spiritual?
Brad Pitt: “No, no, no! I’m probably 20 per cent atheist and 80 per cent agnostic. I don’t think anyone really knows. You’ll either find out or not when you get there, until then there’s no point thinking about it.

Pitt's non-believer status may not be all that uncommon, but the fact that he didn't duck the question is. It's quite rare for a public figure to own up to not being a believer. Whether or not you share Pitt's views on the afterlife, his honesty is pretty damn refreshing.